


The Messenger of Flame

by AssortedHeroes



Series: The Chronicles of Eos [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn Being Ardyn, Ardyn Izunia Backstory, Ardyn Izunia Being An Asshole, Daemon Ardyn Izunia, Heavy Angst, Light Angst, Loqi and Prompto are brothers, Multi, POV Alternating, Past Relationship(s), Possibly Unrequited Love, Prince Prompto Argentum, Resurrection, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssortedHeroes/pseuds/AssortedHeroes
Summary: Six Astrals. Four Messengers for each. Though much time has passed since this was a hard rule, the Messengers still exist for the Six...and as it seems, the Infernian's favorite is back.The Fallen King of Lucis once had a party much like the Chosen King - an advisor, a shield, and a best friend. The advisor was not just an advisor, however. Once a simple farm girl, she was chosen to stand at the King's side through thick and thin, and though as a Messenger she was not to take part in the wars of man, she had a duty to uphold. That duty, her loyalty to the friend she'd found, ended in her murder.Two thousand years later, the world has use of her again.First awakening in the cold of Gralea, Kan Hewlette must escape the watchful gaze of Niflheim's royalty and government and reunite with her king once and for all...but he's changed, and she isn't certain it is a change she can tolerate.(AU - Prince!Prompto, Prompto/Loqi Brothership, Ardyn wasn't the first king of Lucis){Of A.}





	1. Chapter 1

### Two Days before the Treaty with Lucis

#### Verstael Besithia's Laboratory, Gralea, Morning

Jacqueline Besithia, twenty-four-year-old Princess of Niflheim, Doll of the House Aldercapt, and secret bodyguard of its two princes, lifted one elegant palm to her forehead, and sighed. The woman found unconscious in the snow wasn't waking, and though her vitals were steady, Jacqueline had been assigned to keep watch over her until such time as she woke. It was a pointless activity, as if the woman was to wake at all it would make little difference whether the princess was with her or not.

Jacqueline looked down at the poor stranger, at the glossy black hair framing pleasant facial features, at the glowing blue sigil on her forehead. She was remarkably well-groomed for a person who'd been buried in snow for who knows how long. The instruments she was hooked to showed that she was completely stable and healthy. Anyone left out in the wastes of Niflheim should have been in far worse condition than she. Perhaps it was simply the will of the Six, as Loqi and Prompto had been discussing when the news was broken to them. This woman - she certainly seemed as if she could be important. There were no records of her found after the facial recognition software did its work. Was she a secret spy for the Lucians? An agent of the Astrals sent to destroy? 

A pair of warm, heavy hands made themselves known on Jacqueline's shoulders, snapping her out of her thoughts. Green eyes glared out of their corners - the hands were clad in fingerless gloves, which only one _important_ resident of Gralea would ever find themselves wearing. "Chancellor Izunia. I wasn't aware you'd have an interest in this sort of thing." 

"You must be mistaken, then, little princess. This discovery is all over, in whispers, in quiet messages." The wine-haired man, Ardyn Izunia, stepped out from behind Jacqueline's chair and fixed his gaze on the comatose. "What a pretty thing..." There was something _wistful_ in his face the princess had never witnessed before, but she could not comment. It wasn't her place. 

"I wouldn't touch her, if I were you." 

Izunia's hand froze above the woman's cheek, and he grinned. "Please, your highness. I doubt I could do any harm to her the snow wasn't able to." His knuckle administered a gentle caress. The woman made a very quiet noise, her head turning just slightly into the hand. It was as if she knew him. "Do they know when she'll wake?" 

Jacqueline blinked. "That wasn't something that could be determined. I am only here to inform them if she happens to do so." 

"They wanted you specifically? I wonder why..." 

He was smirking, patronizing the princess, which made her stomach boil. "Perhaps they simply have no need for me elsewhere. And I suppose...I was curious about it. It is not far-fetched to assume they could see so." Her hands twitched, fingers curling and uncurling over the silk lap of her dress. "Is there...something you might know about this woman, Chancellor?"

Izunia straightened with a hearty laugh. "Oh, princess. Why would I have any more knowledge than you, the one who's been at her side all day?" 

"I only meant that you seem to have...an elevated interest. It's almost out of character for you." Her eyes bored into the man, strong and unflappable. 

The man only spread his hands. "As I said, it's quite the discovery. A perfectly healthy woman lying in the snow, just outside the city. And that mark on her head..." A thought seemed to strike him. He stepped toward the princess and knelt, setting one hand on her knee as if he were a friend, or a parent, or a lover. "You really don't want to be here, do you..? ...I'll tell you what. Why don't I watch over this one in your stead? You can go off and speak with your brothers about the treaty signing in Insomnia. His Majesty and I have already prepared our plan, but the three of you haven't, have you?" 

Six, he was revolting. Jacqueline wanted to move, to get his hands off of her, to end his life. She had weapons hidden in the simple dress she wore - plenty of daggers that could end any man. She hated him utterly. But his idea was a nice one - freedom from the laboratory, from _him._ She smiled. "I think that's a lovely thought, Chancellor." Gently, she used both her hands to move his and stood, perhaps hesitantly walking to the door. "Do let us know when she wakes? I think I'd like a word with this woman." 

 

 

#### Her Highness' Chambers, Gralea, Midmorning

"Sister, I understand your disdain, but there's nothing he could do now without betraying Aldercapt!" Prince Prompto Besithia spread his hands and approached Jacqueline, attempting to reason with the agitated woman. She'd stormed into her chambers in a fury after an apparently uncomfortable interaction with Imperial Chancellor Izunia, and now, her brothers had to deal with it. "Please, if you would just calm down and sit for a moment-"

Jacqueline turned her gaze on the taller blond and he backed away, for his sister was terrifying. "You know well as I do that he's been corrupting this nation for years. He's _up_ to something." 

From the sofa, Loqi rolled his eyes, not even taking the time to look up from the spear he was polishing. "He's awful, but he's part of the government, the same as us. If he's doing something, we can't do anything about it."

"There, you see?" Prompto was doing his best to give a smug smile, but his babyish face didn't much allow it. He only looked cute. 

Jacqueline couldn't help but smile and walk toward her brother, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "Oh, Prompto...sweet, sweet Prompto. Don't you understand? He has plans, and those plans cannot be thwarted from the outside. _We_ are the only ones that, as of now, have any chance of stopping him." 

The prince's smile turned warm and he wrapped his hands around his sister's wrists with a soft sigh. "I understand it perfectly. I just...don't know that we can do anything. Is it the woman they found? Do you believe that she could be the key?" 

"I _know_ she's the key. You didn't see the way he looked at her - it was as if he'd found something he'd lost long ago. And yet...nobody can find anything about this woman. Is that not suspicious?" 

A pair of arms wound around her waist. Loqi set his chin on her shoulder. "If we brought it to the emperor, there's no guarantee he'd do anything..." 

"There's still a chance. Isn't a chance all we need?" 

"I agree, but..." Prompto shook his head. "Right now there are more pressing matters. The treaty signing is in two days. Without us with you..." 

Jacqueline let out a melodious laugh and broke free of the twins, light steps taking her to the large window overlooking Gralea. "I'll be fine. If something goes wrong, there will be plenty of Magitek guards to protect me, and even then I can protect myself just fine. The question is what you two will be doing while I sit with all the stuffy old men." 

Loqi ran a hand through dirty-blond hair. "I am to command a squadron of Magitek as backup. Just in case something goes wrong." 

"And I'm supposed to stay with Lady Lunafreya," said Prompto. His cheeks were tinted pink. "I have to say, I'm a little jealous of Prince Noctis..."

His siblings laughed. The princess turned to set her palm against the window, a more determined smile on her face now. "You'll still be able to see her, brother. There will be peace. You two will be the heirs to an empire that spans the world over." 

"St-still! It isn't like we'll be able to go out together without Noctis hanging by..." 

Loqi shook Prompto by the shoulders. "Don't tell me you're in love with the Oracle. How unbecoming! Imagine it: Crown Prince of Niflheim, pining over a woman who represents everything his country stands against-" His words devolved into laughter as Prompto shoved him playfully; a wrestling match between the twins began. 

Jacqueline watched on with glee. She'd already begun to forget about the unpleasant encounter with Izunia, about her curiosity of the strange woman he seemed so enamored with. 

 

 

#### Besithia's Laboratory, Gralea, Afternoon

Ardyn Izunia had been at the woman's bedside for hours and still, he could not work out why she was there. He ran his gaze thoroughly over her yet again, and though there were differences between the body he remembered and this one here, he _knew_ it had to be her...but he couldn't believe it. Two thousand years without her, two thousand years on his own, and now here she was, laying helplessly on a gurney with wires poking out of her and monitors keeping watch on her body's every change. 

Were the Six playing tricks on him again? His plans were beginning to unfold, finally, after so long plotting. Was her reappearance an attempt to thwart him? To distract him with his past? 

The door opened behind him. His Shield, Azarel (or, as the public knew him, Konrad) stepped inside and moved to his side. "...she looks the same." His eyes were dark, almost brooding. 

"Doesn't she?" Ardyn's fingers traced patterns up and down the comatose's arm, relishing in the feel of that soft skin he hadn't touched in millennia. "Not exactly the same, but it's so close..." 

"I missed her." Azarel knelt and reached out, his hand hovering over the woman's stomach, which was covered by the same blue lace dress he remembered. "Do you know how she came back? Was it like me?" 

Ardyn shook his head. "She wasn't sealed away as you were. She was dead. Killed just as we were escaping Insomnia." The memory burned behind his eyes. He pushed it away. 

"Then how..?" 

"It seems the Six have use for her, be it helpful for us or not." 

Azarel bit at his lower lip. "If she wakes up, she might not remember us." 

"I have ideas in place, in the event that such an unfortunate occurrence comes to pass..." Ardyn smiled. "But I have a feeling the only confusion she'll feel will be due to the new world." 

"A lot's changed." 

"A lot's changed indeed..." 

There was silence for some time. Then, Azarel stood, and exhaled deeply. "I should keep a better guard. I'm sorry." 

"Of course." The chancellor nodded. "If there's a change, you'll be the first to know." 

The glaive left, and there was only a fallen king and a sleeping woman. 

"Oh, my dear...it's been such a long time I've even forgotten what your voice sounds like..." His tone was wistful, his entire being not at all manipulative as he knew the princess saw him. In that moment he was only a man, troubled by the thought of someone he'd tried so hard to push to the back of his mind. 

Her death haunted him. The expression on her face as she fell haunted him. The weak voice she'd used as she lay dying in his arms haunted him. 

The monitors beeped. 

Ardyn's lip curled and he disconnected her from the equipment. She needed none of it. He leaned down to her ear, murmured a few words in that soft, velvet voice. 

For the first time in two thousand years, Kan Hewlette opened her eyes. 

 

 

### Two Thousand and Nine Years before the Treaty with Lucis

#### Inside The Hewlette Farm, Outside Insomnia, Early Morning

"Absolutely not. She's too young." George Hewlette slammed his palms down on the rough wood of his home's table. "I can't, in good conscience, let Kan do something like this."

Fifteen-year-old Azarel Hart raised one hand in apology and shrugged. "It isn't up to me, or you. They choose her." 

"She's been _chosen_ before. Being chosen is no privilege." 

"What else was she chosen for?" 

George stepped around the table and stuck his head out through the door, making sure Kan was far out in the fields before shutting it. She did love getting an early start on the watermelons, or perhaps she was at the shrine, praying. "She...do you know of the plague that's ravaging our world, right now?" 

The Shield-in-training nodded. "It isn't exactly a secret." 

"This is...difficult to talk about. But when Kan was born, our mother..." George paused and took a deep breath. "Our mother had been ailing for a long time. She'd been infected since a few weeks before it was known she was pregnant. And once Kan was born, Mother collapsed and...expired. Kan has a mark on her head, did you know? It's a symbol. A mark of her _curse._ She's not affected by the Starscourge, because she was chosen by Ifrit, the Infernian, long before she was born." 

"And since the scourge was born of him..." Hart's eyes fell to the ground. 

George nodded. "She's one of those damned Messengers. She has enough on her plate right now, enough duty...she doesn't need to become attached to a prince." 

"...I'm very sorry. But your sister has been handpicked from dozens of candidates by the prince himself. The king wanted someone from nobility, but the prince insisted. The only way he'll allow this is if she comes without resistance..." Hard sighed, rubbing the side of his head. His hair was cut close to his head.. "I was supposed to bring her at dawn...I'm already pushing it. Please, let this be. Let her go." 

The farmer's breath caught in his throat. He didn't want his baby sister to leave. They were orphans already, and yes, though George did have a girl he loved with all his heart, he didn't want to be without his blood family. He gave a very long sigh, then nodded again. "If you can't see her when you look, there's a shrine nearby. She'll be there." 

Azarel Hart bowed his head and gave a salute. Then, he left, and George broke down sobbing. 

 

 

#### The Infernian's Shrine, Outside Insomnia, Early Morning

A young woman, face darkened with spots of dirt, hair wet with sweat, and knees already sore from the stone beneath, knelt before Ifrit's altar with her hands clasped in prayer. Her eyes were shut, wildly dancing flames setting shadows across her form, and the blue symbol on her forehead glowed. 

"My lord, Ifrit, I ask for your guidance..." 

Some of the flames congealed behind the altar, forming the shape of a man, ten feet tall, horned, eyes alight with hatred. The Infernian had arrived. "Messenger. I am here. What must you ask?" 

Kan Hewlette raised her head, her eyes fluttering open, and a gleeful smile spread on her lips. "I was unsure of whether you would come, my lord." 

"I await your call." Ifrit was being sarcastic, of course. The sheer enthusiasm that Kan had for serving him was almost unsettling, but each time he appeared before the young girl he found himself growing fonder. It was rather cute. "Stand. You have proven yourself above humanity before." 

The girl did so, brushing dust off the leather of her trousers. Practicality over appearance - that was her motto, and the reason she preferred men's clothes to dresses. "Thank you. Ah, how have you been?" 

"The same as ever. I see your crops from time to time. They are doing well." 

"Thank you, Ifrit." She was blushing slightly. 

The Astral simply waved a hand dismissively. "You requested guidance?" 

Kan's smile faltered only a little. "Yes, my lord...there is someone here today. I sensed him approach while I was eating. He is from the city, the Citadel." 

"And?" 

"I...I am nervous. The royal family only sends for us if they find an issue with us." Her eyes were bold, big, the brightest blue and full of something strange. "I believe they have want of me." 

Ifrit nodded. "The king desires someone to advise his son on his journey to kinghood. I listened from above, and the prince has chosen you." 

"Chosen...me?" Her lip trembled, less of grief and more of shock. 

"Yes, you. It seems they know of you." Kan's chest began rising and falling more quickly. The bond forged between she and the Infernian let him feel that she was afraid, and anxious. He set a hand atop her shoulder. "Your brother...has already given this glaive permission to take you." 

"So he...will come here soon..." A single tear fell from her eye, carving a line through the dust. 

Ifrit reached down and wiped that tear away with one finger. "Fear not. Wherever you are called, I will be with you." 

His words must have stayed with her through the entire meeting she had with the king, the prince, the royal court, for their bond burned brightly through the Astral Plane.

 

 

### Two Days before the Treaty with Lucis

#### The Astral Plane

"She has awoken." The soft words of the Glacian permeated the hall of the gods. She was in her mortal form as usual - black hair, hazel eyes closed to the world. Why she refused to appear as Shiva was anybody's guess.

The Fulgarian stroked his beard. "It is not time. What has happened?"

"The Accursed One. He wills her to wake, and she follows the call of her king." 

The Draconian's voice boomed outward. "Is she aware of her new duty? Of what transpires?" 

The Glacian smiled. "It is unclear. She knows time passes as she flutters in the beyond. She feels the change within him. As for her new calling...that is clouded from us." 

"She is dangerous. Bahamut - this plan of yours, is it truly our best option?" The Fulgarian turned to the Draconian, eyes more exhausted than ever. 

The Draconian raised his head, a dangerous aura beginning to emanate outward. "The Chosen King approaches his calling. There is no better time to revive her." 

"Ifrit feels her. Their bond is not faded." The Glacian's hands rose from her abdomen to above her head, and snow formed the shape of the Infernian with his Messenger. The girl was staring with her head tilted up. He had one hand on her shoulder, the other resting against her cheek. "He knows. He rises." 

The Draconian nodded very slowly. "Watch for her, Shiva. She is dangerous as Ramuh said." 

 

 

#### Unknown

It was dark. 

... 

For two thousand years, all he knew was the dark. 

... 

Humanity had betrayed him. 

... 

The Glacian had betrayed him. 

... 

The girl had stayed by his side. 

... 

The girl was the closest thing to a friend he'd ever had. 

... 

Then she had died. 

... 

He didn't know how it happened. 

... 

Months of torture at the hands of traitors, followed by weeks of recovery at the farm. 

... 

Then they had found them. 

... 

A blade through the chest. 

... 

Through her eyes, he saw the king. 

... 

The next time he saw the king was long after. 

... 

Revival. 

... 

An evil resurrection. 

... 

It was fine. 

... 

A little more darkness couldn't hurt. 

... 

The king had changed. 

... 

The darkness was inside the king. 

... 

The darkness was inside _him._

... 

More years passed. The blink of an eye for him. 

... 

An old part of him suddenly sparked. 

... 

Reawakened. 

... 

She was alive. 

... 

She was awake. 

... 

She was with the king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the first chapter of The Messenger of Flame. I honestly don't know where exactly I'm going with this, but hey, it's happening. Hopefully, enough of this makes sense for the story to be enjoyable. Please leave me feedback if you can. It really helps when I know what people think of my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

### Two Days before the Treaty with Lucis

#### Besithia's Laboratory, Gralea, Late Afternoon

"So...I have...I was dead..." Wrapped in about sixteen blankets, her back against the blank white wall of the _hospital_ room she was supposedly confined in, Kan Hewlette still shivered. Her fingers were wrapped a mug of hot cocoa. The steam warmed her face, but her eyes were filled with distrust and nervousness despite being in the company of the very king she once served. 

Ardyn nodded and reached out, setting a hand on her shoulder. "It's been a very long time, my dear...I should count myself lucky that you were found here in Gralea." He had joined her on the gurney, now sitting with one leg bent and the other hanging off the side. 

The woman's breath was shaky. "I...must apologize. I should not have left you alone." 

"Come now, it wasn't your fault those _savages_ had it out for us." He gave her a kind, warm smile. When he noticed that her gaze was elsewhere, he frowned internally and simply cupped her chin, turning her head so he could see her face clearly. A face full of life. "I need you to look to me, to trust me, and I can explain everything you've missed."

"...how long?" 

"It's been two thousand years." 

That was the moment where Kan almost stopped breathing altogether. The pale color drained from her cheeks and her lip began to quiver, and Ardyn could almost see the thoughts tumbling around in her head. _Impossible_ s and _I failed him_ s and _What have I done?_ s, and so he pulled the woman into his larger frame, whispering against her hair. "I swear to you, Kan, I have never once blamed you for my loneliness. Your death was the fault of me and me alone, not yours. You've done nothing wrong, though...I've missed your presence." 

"...missed me..." Carefully, she set the mug down on the windowsill, then leaned closer. "I think...I missed you, as well...but the Beyond was timeless...I was unable to tell the true span of...of..." 

Words failed her, so Ardyn placed a finger on her lips. "Don't think about that. It will do nothing but scare you more." 

She inhaled deeply, then nodded. "As you wish, my king...now...might you tell me who it is outside the door..?" There was a little smile on her lips. Perhaps their dynamic was beginning to return more quickly than expected...or perhaps she was trying to make it so as a defense mechanism.

Ardyn was pleased by it either way. He chuckled at her question. "An old friend. I think you'll enjoy this surprise." He raised his voice. "Glaive, your presence is required." 

The way Kan's face lit up when her gaze fell upon Azarel was absolutely stunning. Ardyn released her and instantly she was on her feet, arms thrown tightly around the Shield. Within seconds they were both crying, laughing, simply glad to be able to see one another again. 

"Azarel Hart, you look a _fool_ with those glasses-" 

"-you're dressed the same as always-" 

"-you have no beard-" 

"-Six, I missed you." 

Ardyn had a satisfied, smug smirk on his lips the entire time he watched the interaction. He remembered thinking, as a young prince meeting his counsel for the first time, that it was rather interesting how Kan and Azarel had grown so close so quickly, despite the former having been the one to specifically retrieve the latter from her home. The fastest of friends. Perhaps the two both being quiet, fairly down-to-earth people had been a factor, but whatever the case, it was that friendship that helped to solidify the bond between all three of them. After all, a king's party needed to be close. His thoughts wandered further, and he nearly frowned, for there was a fourth who joined somewhere along the road, and that one wasn't here.

Kan and Azarel turned with somewhat melancholy expressions, and he knew they had reached the same conclusion. He raised one hand. "I know, we're short a member...but I fear we may remain that way. I've wandered this world for two thousand years and found no sign of our dear friend." 

"Do you think it possible..." Kan paused, then shook her head. Whatever her question was, she didn't deem it important enough to ask. She tried again with something different. "Now that we have reunited with one another...what are we to do? I know nothing of this place. I remember there was a place called Gralea, but...I believe my memories are jumbled." 

"Gralea is the capital of the Niflheim Empire," Ardyn said patiently. 

Azarel rubbed up and down the woman's shoulder with a nod. "They...may have gotten very close to invading the entire world. Lucis still stands, but they're being overwhelmed. There's a peace treaty that will be signed in two days." 

The other male leisurely got to his feet, smiling more kindly now. "I am to be present. You see, my dear Kan, the world has...forgotten us. There are no records. We were erased from history, and now I have a new role, as Chancellor of Niflheim. These past few years I've been presiding over all Niflheim's diplomatic relations, and as such, this peace treaty is under my department. Azarel here will protect you and keep you company until I can return." 

"We are to stay?" She frowned. 

"At the moment, I'm afraid it's far too dangerous for you to be in Insomnia." Ardyn cupped her cheek with one hand, allowing a glint of sympathy to form in his eyes. "And the Niffs are...suspicious of you. You are a stranger, clearly a foreigner, and they wouldn't allow you to accompany me." 

Kan thought quietly for just a moment, then nodded. "I understand. Is there anything you wish me to do while you attend your duties?" 

A gentle chuckle. "Let me think about that for a time, and I'll let you know. Now, you may not be hungry, but the Emperor has me join his family and the other government officials for dinner nightly, and I have a feeling you'll be expected to attend once they know you've awoken. Shall we find you something new to wear?"

 

 

#### House Aldercapt's Dining Hall, Gralea, Evening

As she sat in the high-backed hardwood chair, wearing a new red dress of satin and her hair pinned up behind her ears, Hewlette couldn't help but feel out of place. Even though she'd spent a decade serving a king, she was still a simple farm girl who had no place among royalty. Everything had happened so quickly - her torture, her escape, her death, some terrible pain, a long time of rest for her soul, her awakening in the laboratory, and the shopping break that really only consisted of her trying on clothes until a servant was satisfied. Yet here she sat, one seat over from the king-turned-chancellor who she was so glad to find her once again, waiting for others to enter the room so tall and broad that the fireplace could barely illuminate the table. It was a set-up for one of the horror stories she often used to tell around a campfire. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a door opened and three young adults entered, all blond and regal. Two were boys dressed in red-and-white robes, one with hair darker than the other. The girl, much shorter than the men, had a strapless white dress. Her hair was done in pigtails. Hewlette knew immediately that these must be the Emperor's children and stood, dropping into a small curtsey. They gave a nod to signify she was allowed to sit, and all four of them did so. 

The princess' eyes were a fierce green, a departure from her brothers. Hewlette noticed this because they were trained on her. She cleared her throat. "Your Highness..?" 

"...my name is Jacqueline. What is yours?" The intensity of her gaze started to diminish, and she folded her hands over her lap. 

"I...I am Hewlette. It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." 

The princess nodded and gave a hum. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Hewlette. I'm happy to see you awake and moving. These are my brothers, Prompto and Loqi." 

The princes nodded at the sound of their names. _Strange,_ thought Hewlette. _They are the supposed heirs, but she seems to be the leader..._

Two more blonds entered the room then, though the difference in their appearances was much more pronounced. The glowering man's hair was close to white. He sat without preamble. Conversely, the new woman smiled as she took her seat, offering a smile to the others. "I see His Radiance hasn't arrived yet. We aren't late, then?" 

Surprisingly, Jacqueline gave a smile of her own. "You've never once been late, Lady Lunafreya. Stop worrying so." 

"It should please you to know, Jacqueline, that after this treaty there will be no need to worry about tardiness." It was the unknown man, whose eyes, Hewlette noticed, were different colors. He didn't sound at all pleased. 

"Ravus." It was a sisterly plea, and Hewlette realized that Lunafreya must actually be the man's sister. Oh, the poor girl. 

Ravus scoffed.

Lunafreya let out an elegant sigh and shook her head. "My apologies. He's had a trying day, what with all the preparations..." 

"Preparations? For the treaty?" Hewlette wasn't certain why she actually spoke, but she tilted her head, curious. "I heard that you are to be wed to the prince of Lucis." 

"I am, yes." Lunafreya - the Oracle, she remembered Ardyn telling her - turned her gaze on the Messenger and tilted her own head. "It's exciting. I haven't been able to see Prince Noctis in a very long time. But I'm not sure we've met. You would be..." Those eyes, a clear blue like the sky, widened a small bit. "You're the woman they found this morning. I was hoping I would get the chance to meet you, because your story seems so interesting. And...I've been told some things about you." 

There were some murmurs of agreement among the royalty. Hewlette found her cheeks warming, if only because she wasn't accustomed to such attention. "What sorts of things would you-" 

A flash of movement behind the Oracle caught her eye and she stopped talking. The dark bangs, the constantly closed eyes - Gentiana, Messenger of Shiva, was standing behind Lunafreya with the same mysterious smile on her lips as ever. "The Oracle knows what she must." 

Hewlette closed her eyes tightly before opening them, and her face was a cool mask of indifference then. "I see. Perhaps she even knows more than I - I fear my memories are unreliable."

"The Lady Hewlette must repair her mind on her own." Gentiana's eyes opened, sending a shiver down the other woman's spine. 

It was at that moment that the door opened once more. Everyone stood as Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt made his way to his seat. He truly _looked_ ancient, and very, very tired. Ardyn had said that he'd been at the Emperor's side for a long time - perhaps he knew why this man looked so bad. "Where is Besithia?" 

Jacqueline appeared to be trying very hard to keep her face blank. "He's supposedly found a breakthrough. He requested that he not join us today." 

Time passed and the group tucked in. Ardyn struck up a conversation with Prince Loqi, Ravus with Prompto, and the women found themselves talking quietly. Jacqueline wanted to know about Lunafreya's day, Luna wanted to hear which of Hewlette's memories were there, and Hewlette could barely keep up with the questions because she felt she was still waking up. The princess made a request for the four girls to gather in her chambers after dinner, which Lunafreya and Gentiana gladly accepted, but Hewlette had to see a nod from Ardyn before she did so as well. She didn't want to do anything without permission, after all. 

Servants came to take the dishes, and all bid their farewells. 

 

 

#### Her Highness' Chambers, Gralea, Late Evening

Princesses may not have lived the best lives, but their homes were absolutely lovely.

Jacqueline's bedroom was actually more like a house within the palace, with everything someone might need to live on their own besides a kitchen. A sitting room, closets, bathrooms, and of course the bedroom itself, which Hewlette wasn't allowed to see. Something about privacy and the privileges of nobility.

Now she was sitting across from the princess and Oracle, her fellow Messenger at her side and a cup of tea in her hands. "I am not quite sure where to begin, Your Highness."

Gentiana reached her hand across Hewlette, almost as if to block her from doing something. "The Draconian is worried. The Chosen King approaches, but the Accursed grows restless." 

Instead of being confused, as would be expected, Jacqueline nodded enthusiastically. "Izunia? I _knew_ he was up to something, but-"

"Jacqueline." Lunafreya patted the princess on the shoulder and gave her a warning look. Then, she turned to Hewlette. "I...understand that you serve the Infernian. My duty as Oracle involves serving the Glacian. I hope this doesn't...mean we have to be at odds." 

Hewlette nodded slowly. "I would rather not be your enemy. However...my duty is to Ifrit. If he calls me to go against you, Lady Lunafreya..." 

Jacqueline waved a hand. "We will do nothing of the sort. Women with power are still difficult to find, so we must stick together. I am the eldest royal child, and yet my brothers are set to inherit the throne. The four of us cannot fight, or there will be even less of us..." 

"Speaking of your...status, Your Highness..." Hewlette wanted to choose her words carefully. The princess didn't seem a forgiving person. "I hear that the three of you are...not truly of the Emperor's bloodline." 

Her nostrils flared, but Jacqueline didn't react badly. "The old man is infertile. Our chief scientist, Besithia, was enlisted to give him heirs. I was the first out of a _test tube_ and then, four years later, I met Loqi and Prompto. This was all...before the Chancellor appeared." She sounded wistful.

Hewlette looked at the cup in her lap. "You find Ardyn...suspicious." 

"More than you know. I recall that when I was young, Aldercapt was...kinder. Kind to us children. After he started working with Izunia..." A moment passed when nobody said anything, but then Jacqueline jut out her chin. "All that is irrelevant. I invited you here to speak of your past, Lady Hewlette. What's your relationship to the Chancellor?" 

"I...I met him when we were...young. Teenagers, I believe." Hewlette frowned. "He wanted me to help him. Give him advice. The Infernian gave his blessing, said I was allowed and implored to do so. We spent ten years in the company of one another, and then...I suppose I died. And now, here I am." Not a single word was false, but there was a term for what she was doing. Lying by omission. She didn't want to hide things, but how could she explain? How could she explain who Ardyn truly was, when she had been dead for almost the entire time he'd lived? No, no, she couldn't.

Nobody spoke until Jacqueline and Lunafreya exchanged a look. The Oracle took a deep breath. "I believe the Six have given you another chance to live. That it was no accident. Was there...any time when you may have done something to endanger fate? I understand how that sounds, but even the smallest details can change everything." 

The resurrected Messenger paused, then bit her lower lip. "I have...a power, you could say. I am not able to control it. This power comes from Ifrit. It...it..." She shook her head. She couldn't. 

Gentiana's voice was quiet, yet resounded through the room. "The scourge of our star is within." 

Lunafreya's lips curved downward. She reached out, folding Hewlette's hands in her own. "As the Oracle...my duty is to heal those afflicted with the Starscourge. Perhaps it was fate that we met, fate that..." A soft grunt. "I would like to help you. May I..?" 

Her hands glowed with a pale gold as Hewlette's began to darken with shadow. Light and dark battled for moments, then faded. 

"...that was anticlimactic. Has it worked?" Jacqueline pursed her lips. 

Hewlette shook her head. When the Oracle released her hands, they were trembling terribly. She felt feverish. "I...I am so sorry, milady..." 

"The Infernian's Messenger is not afflicted, but cursed. She afflicts so that the healer may heal." 

Gentiana opened her eyes, stared straight into Hewlette's soul, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. 

 

 

#### Chancellor Izunia's Apartment, Gralea's Outskirts, Midnight

Kan had been trying to steady her heartbeat for hours to no avail. The encounter with the princess, the Oracle, _Gentiana..._ It appeared that all the excitement had left a worse mark on her than she realized. She paced back and forth within Ardyn's bedroom, only the bedside lamp turned on, the curtains drawn. She was so shaken that she wasn't able to appreciate the little things that made it Ardyn's place. 

The woman took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed. 

Ardyn was still out, most likely helping with preparations for the peace treaty. Kan couldn't quite understand why he'd joined the Empire in the first place. He was a Lucian, and they had a deep-sat hatred for Lucians. _Still,_ she reasoned, _this is his life, not mine. I have no business questioning it._

She turned her hands so that they were palms-up in her lap, and stared. The marks of her scourge-ifying ability were gone, but she still felt as if the plague was about to burst from her any moment. 

Gentiana's words echoed within her mind. Tears rose to her eyes and fell slowly down her cheeks. She had been chosen to join the young prince only because he needed to heal others, and what better way than to have one of his closest be the one who infected others? 

_But what if it was only a coincidence? Ardyn would do no such thing..._

He wasn't there, which meant she couldn't ask him. 

Perhaps the Infernian could explain? 

Kan slid from the bed to the carpet, kneeling with her hands clasped and her head bowed. There was no shrine, no burning altar, but she was no longer a small child. She caused a ball of flame to appear before her, in the middle of the room, and let it float. 

"My lord Ifrit, I ask for your guidance..." 

She waited, and waited, and waited. 

Nothing. Not even a flicker of an indication that she had been heard. 

She tried once more. 

When she received no answer, the woman whimpered and stood. Was she no longer counted as a Messenger? No, that wasn't it. In the mirror of Ardyn's dresser she could see the sigil on her forehead glowing blue, just as it always had. 

So it was a problem not with her powers, but with the Infernian's. She waved the ball of fire away and sank back onto the bed, face in her hands. 

She was still crying silently when Ardyn came to her an hour later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All these assholes have fucking blue eyes and most of them are blonde. Help me.

**Author's Note:**

> Azarel Hart/Konrad Stand belongs to @CorruptShield on Twitter. They're being really nice and letting me use him for this story, so, thanks to Az-mun!


End file.
